Automatic flushing-tank valve



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, A IUWHITE. Y

AUTOMATIC FLUSHING TANK` VALVE.

No. 548,685.4 Patented Oct'. 29, 1895.

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(Hommel.) 2 sheets-sheet 2. P. `WHITEI AUTOMATIC PLUSHING yTANKl VALVE.

No. 548,685.` Patented'Oot. 29, 1895.

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ull H l AN DREW BLRMAM PMoTuTnawAsnlNaTON. D C

UNHED STATES @PATENT Ormes.

PETER WHITE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

l AUTOMATIC FLUSHING-TANK VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Iatent No. 548,685, dated October 29, 1 895.

` Appneauon flied July 23.1894. 4seria No. 518,321. (No modem To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER WHITE, a citizen v of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, in the Stateof Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Flushing-Tank Valves, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication.

My invention relates to a new and useful automatic flushing float-valve which is particularly adapted for use in connection with ilushing-tanks for water-closets and where such closets are either single or in series and with a separate basin for each closet or a single basin for the series. It is, however, more advantageously used with the latter, where it is desirable that the closets be liushed at regular intervals. The valve which I have shown in the drawings, and which is the preferred form at this time, is of a double-float construction-that is, there is a mainvalve seating on the outsideof the outlet-opening of the flushing-tank anda oat lis carried on t the upper end of its stern, which in this case is hollow. Above the float is a water-chamber which opens into the end of the stem, and

there are also perforations in such stem near its lower end. A bell-float is carried loosely on the stern of such main valve and seats above such main valve. The bell-float is returned after each operation to its normal po- Y lloat raised and the main valve about to open.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the wateroutlet of the tank, the main-valve stem beingin section.

In all of the views the same marks of reference refer to the same parts.

In detail, 5 represents a flushing-tank of any suitable size onshape, which may be supported aboveone or more water-closets in the ordinary way. If there were a number of closets and the basin or bowl of each was separate, there would be a pipe leading to each 6 is the inlet-pipe into the flushing-tank,

and is connected with the tank in any desired way, 7 being a cock or regulating-valve connected to such pipe to regulate the Iiow of water into the Ilushing-tank 5.

8 is an outlet shell or coupling between the ilushingtank and outlet pipe, the Vlatter screwing on the lower end of the shell. v The upper end of the shell has an outer annular flange 9, which is of` largerdiarneter than the opening through which the shell passes and bears against the inside of the bottom of the f1ushingtank while the shell is held securelyT in place by a ring 10, which screws on the outside of the shell below the flushing-tank, an annular washer 11 being interposed between the two to prevent leakage,

12 is a flanged ring which screws into the open top of the shell within the tank and forms a valve-seat 13 below and in the shell 8,.

14 is an annular washer which is interposed Y between the flange of the ring 12 and the top of the shell 8 to prevent leakage, and, extend- Ving beyond such ange, it also forms a valveseat. .p Centrally within the ring 12 and supported by radiating arms from such ring is a collar ,or guide 15, and a similar, but smaller, guide 16 is formed in the lower end of the shell 8. These guide and support the valve-stem 17, which carries the main valve 18, which is adaptedvto seat on thevalvefseat 1 3 on the under side ofthe ring 12. i The lower end ot' the valve-stem 17 is reduced in size where'it works through the guides l6,and the downward movement of the stem 17 is thus limited. The valve'stem 17 is hollow above the valve 18 and extends up a suitable distance and has an open top. Perforations 19 are formed in the stem just above the valve 18. On the upper end of the valve-stern is formed a main float 20, whose top is on a line with the upper IOO edge of the same, the sleeve working loosely on the hollow valve-stem 17.

is an outer depending rim or flange which is deflected slightly inward. The lower edge of such flangeis adapted to seat on the valve-- seat formed by the washer 14, which extends beyond the edges of the flange of the ring 12, as before stated.

The operation of the floatvalve is as follows: Supposing the several parts to be in the positions shown in Fig. 2, where a flushing discharge has just been made and the water-chamber in the top of the main float is empty, the buoyancy of the float will hold the f main valve closed. The bellfloat is held to the valve-seat 14 by the water-pressure on its top, but water in the Iiushing-tank will seep or run slowly into the bell-float through the I space between the valve-stem 17 and the Q sleeve 24, and will rise in the bell-float until it g reaches the lower end of the sleeve, when the air in the bell-float will be imprisoned in the joat, and as the water continues to slowly enter the bell-float the air will be compressed L The hollow valve-stem 17 within such float. being perforated just above the main valve 18 and these perforations being within thel bell-float, the water in such fioat will passi into the hollow valve-stein through said perforations, and will gradually ascend the same, filling it, and finally entering the water-cham- When the water-level in the tank and the hollow stem 17 becomes the same, the bell-float will be raised from its seat, as sh-own 2 When the water-chamber 22 becomes sufficiently loaded so as to overcome the buoyancy of the float, the main valve 18 will open and the water will rush out through 1 the open main valve to the closets below until the water in the tank is low enough to alber above.

in Fig. 3.

low the bell-float to seat on the seat 14. At

this time the level of the water is compara- I tively low in the Iiushing-tank, and the main l valve is still open, with the enlarged part of I the valve-stem 17 resting on the lower guide, so that the water will pass out of the waterchamber 22 and the hollow valve-stem 17 This escape of through the perforations 19. water being slow on account of the smallness of the perforations 19, it will give an aftert ing the parts of the valve back to their normal positions, (shown in Fig. 2,) when the operationl just described will be repeated. Should the level of the water rise in the tank faster than it does in the hollow valve-stem 17, via the space between the stem 24 and the stem 17, the water will eventually flow over the top of chamber 22 into the hollow stem 17, and thus lift the bell-lioat from its seat when the water in the tank and hollow stem 17 is at the same level.

The watersupply into the flushing-tank is regulated through the cock or valve 6,so that the flushing-valve may be madeto operate at shorter or longer intervals apart.

It will be seen that the valve herein shown and described is positive and automatic in action, the bell-Heat being held positively seated. The main valve cannot be seated until the tank empties, or nearly so, and the bell-float reseats itself and cuts off the tankpressure from themain valve. It is possible to have the bell-float work so closely on the main-valve stem that after the main val-ve is unseated and the bell-float seated such bell- Iioat would remain seated while the water in the tank rose to a level with the top of the water-chamber 22 and overtlowed into such chamber through the hollow valve-stem 17 to beneath the bellfloat until the water therein had reached the same level with that in the tank, when the bell-fioat would rise, and afterward the main' valve would be opened by the overloading of its float with water.

If the valve or float is properly weighted, so that it is just light enough to be a fioat, then it will be lifted at the time stated. If the fioat is made still lighter, it will lift before the water in the stem reaches'the level of the water in the tank, and if it be made ltoo heavy the apparatus will not operate properly.

The bell-float and main valve seating vertically without friction, the valves and their seats will not wear and therefore leaks will not occur. The device is simple, has few parts to get out of order, and is noiseless, the valves thereof seating lightly and with but little friction.

One of the advantages of the device is that IOO IIO

it gives the greatest available power to a stream of water from anon-pressure tank, as the full head of the column of falling water is utilized by means of this invention, which, of course, is not true of the ordinary automatic Siphon discharges from tanks. g

The valve mechanism herein set forth may be employed to advantage with tanks on the top of buildings, which tanks are connected with automa-tic sprinklers for extinguishing tires and discharge the water when the air pressure is removed from the outlebpipe in a well-understood way.

Having fully described and set forth my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination to form` an automatic discharge valve mechanism for a tank, of a main valve controlling the discharge from the tank, a iloat for said main valve, and a oat valve opening and closing the opening through the main valve seat after the main valve closes and opens respectively.

2. The combination to form an automatic discharge valve mechanism for a tank, of a main valve controlling the discharge from the tank, a float for said main valve and adapted to be loaded with water as the Water in the tank rises, and a belldioat playing on the stein of the main valve and seating over the main valve after it opens, and unseating after the main valve closes.

3. The combination with the discharge valve of a tank, of a tloat opening said valve when sufciently loaded with Water, and a bell-float seating over the discharge opening of the tank, closing the same when a low level of water is reached in such tank and remaining seated until after the discharge valve is reseated and the buoyancy of its float sufficient to hold it closed.

4. In an automatic flushing tank valve, the combination of a main valve carried on a hollow stem whose lower end is closed, such valve seating in the bottom of a flushing tank, a oat and a water-chamber carried on the upper end of such stem, said stem opening into such water-chamber, openings in said stem above the main valve, and a bell-float working loosely on the main valve stem and seating above such main valve, such bell-float permitting the closing of the main valve.

5. In an automatic iiushing tank-valve, the combination of a shell forming an outlet from a tank, a double valve seat in the top of such shell, a hollow vertical valve stem carried in guides in such shell, a valve on the lower end of such stem adapted to seat on the lower valve seat, a float ancla water-chamber formed on the upper end of the valve stem, the upper end of such Valve stem opening into said water-chamber, openin gs in the lower end of said stem, and a bell-lioat carried loosely on the valve stem and seating on the uppervalve seat above the openings in such valve stem.

6. In an automatic liushing tank valve, the combination of a double valve seat in the outlet of a tank, a main valve carried on the lower end of a hollow vertical stem and adapted to seat on the lower valve seat, a bellfioat provided with a central opening having a depending sleeve Working loosely on said stem, such valve adapted to seaton the upper valve seat, a iioat formed on the upper end of the valve stem, an open water-chamber above the upper end of the valve stem opening into the water chamber, and openings in the valve stem below the bell-Iioat.

7. In an automatic liushing tank-valve, the combination of a shell forming an outlet from a tank, a ring in the top of such shell,`form ing a valve seat within the shell, an upper valve seat within the tank held by such ring, guides formed in the said shell and ring, a vertical valve stem Working in such guides, and carrying a main valve thereon, which seats on the lower valve seat, said stem being hollow above such valve, a bell-floatl carried loosely on the stem above the main valve and seating on the upper valve seat, a lioat and a water-chamber carried on the upper end of said valve stem, such water-chamber opening into such stem, and perforations in the lower end of such stem above the main valve.

'In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal,this 20th day of July, 1894, in the presence of the two subscribing wit-v nesses.

PETER WHITE. [1.. s] Witnesses:

A. C. FOWLER, J. F. WESTON. 

